Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's

Author: John Elder Robeson
Completed: 10/20/09

This book is a memoir of a man who lived the majority of his life not knowing he has Asperger's Syndrome. Most people thought he was “funny”, or a troublemaker, or just plain weird. The author details living with his quirks, which were actually very common traits of Asperger's.

Asperger's Syndrome is on the autism scale of disorders. People with Asperger's tend to have trouble with crowds and do not look at people directly. They are often very mechanically inclined, and have great difficulties making friends and having conversations. Some people have called it “high-functioning autism”, as the two have quite a bit in common, almost like Asperger's is a lesser version of autism.

Despite his childhood of difficulties, the author led quite an amazing life. His interest in mechanics and electronics started when he was young, and later fell into a career using his skills. He toured with some of the biggest music acts of the day creating special lighting effects and customized guitars. He then went to work at a toy company, and used his self-taught knowledge to excel in engineering.

His social life was not quite as smooth as his work, not to say that work was always easy. His home life was difficult to say the least, and he moved out when he was very young. Once out on his own, he did invite his younger brother, memoirist Augusten Burroughs, along on several of his trips. However, the Asperger's interfered as mentioned above in his interactions with others, making for difficult situations.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as well as the note submitted by his brother. While some of the situations seemed absolutely ridiculous, I was also able to relate quite closely with some of his idiosyncrasies. Some parts had me absolutely rolling with laughter, which I must say doesn't happen very often.

While particularly interesting for anyone researching problems of the mind, this book is gripping enough for anyone to enjoy. There is something there for everyone, from gearheads to music lovers to geeks.

10 words or less: Highly recommended. Excellent memoir in a true voice.